Nathan Schulhof

Biography

As the “Father of the MP3 industry” and one of the leading entrepreneurs of the Internet age, Nathan Schulhof not only changed the music industry, but prior to this, he was responsible for taking three companies public. Schulhof speaks both in the U.S. and around the world, entertaining audiences with his futuristic insights, good humor and visionary innovations. Read More >

The idea for the MP3 player was Schulhof’s in 1994 and after 80 hour weeks and flying to China, South Africa and Taiwan regularly, it was released in late 1996. However, he maintained his 80 hours a week schedule for years to come. Then, in mid-January of 2004, although he felt he was fighting influenza, Schulhof was on the panel of speakers for the Consumer Electronics Show. Yet, after continuing to meet work demands for so long, Schulhof began to feel ill and was forced to ask an associate to take his place.

The next day, Schulhof’s world changed. He collapsed into a coma and was found to be suffering from a severe Group A streptococcal infection as a result of his tooth. His organs were shutting down as his body was being engulfed by the same deadly bacteria that killed Jim Henson of the Muppets in 1990.

Schulhof awoke in the hospital after five days of being unconsciousness. For two years, he fought to recover his memory and gain control of his arm’s constant involuntary, unwanted movements. Schulhof survived a near death experience and throughout it all, his innate passion for making a difference drove him to re-learn what he now shares with his audiences.

By 2006, Schulhof became busy with Bio-Tech and Solar Technology, which concentrates on helping people live better and more comfortable lives. In April of 2008, he co-founded Solar Components and after two years of experiments and tests, the “Joos” Orange came to market. This is a waterproof, hardy, handy device with up to 20x more efficiency than any competition and will charge as fast as a wall socket with a 3.0 USB. It won Best of Innovations Award for the 2011 CES International Trade Show in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology Category. He continues to seek out cutting edge technologies that will reduce our energy consumption and make the planet a truly green environment.

Nathan Schulhof has been a regular guest on television’s Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight and CNBC’s Squawk Box. In June of 2016 Schulhof, along with co-author John Seeley, best-selling author of "Get Unstuck!" released their new book "Father of the MP3 Player, Lessons in Business and Life, From a Visionary Entrepreneur.” This is a story of Schulhof and the many experiences that led him to changing the world through disruptive technology. He shares the roadblocks and successes of bringing a new technology to the public with audiences as well as his inspiring personal story of courage and conviction.

Speaker Videos

APB Presents: Nathan Schulhof

Speech Topics

Technology: Past, Present & Future

Nathan Schulhof, father of the MP3 Player, started AudioHighway long before anyone even thought of downloading music on a device and carrying it where ever you wanted to go. The struggle to sell others on a new concept was often difficult, very rewarding and a long process. Nathan will share the roadblocks and successes of bringing a new technology to the public as well as the ups and downs of AudioHighway from inception to a public offering. Nathan will also discuss what the DotCom craze of the 1990s taught us, where it took the next generation of entrepreneurs and look at future technologies such as digital health, drones and self-driven cars to determine where technology is headed next.

One Man’s Journey to Hell & Back

In 2003, Nathan Schulhof’s life almost ended. A simple tooth infection led to his body shutting down from a Group A streptococcal infection that left him in a coma and eventually with significant memory loss. He spent the next several years gaining back all that he has lost. Nathan shares his inspiring story of courage, conviction to lead a more holistic life and how almost dying changed his path in the world.

Technology & Medicine: A Marriage Made in Heaven

Medicine is becoming more connected to people through technology each day. Wearable devices are the next step in moving medicine away from in office visits. Through wearable devices such as watches, physicians can tell how long you sleep, what your heart rate is throughout the day and other medical information. Along with stem cells, these new breakthrough technologies will change the way medical care is used and delivered. Nathan explains how these new ideas will marry technology and medicine in the coming years and what that means for patients and doctors.

Ahead of the Crowd: Disruption & Passion

Believing that passion and eliminating failure equals a successful invention, Nathan Schulhof has seen the best of ideas and the worst of ideas over his 30 years in the technology sector. This gives him great insight into starting a business from concept to public offering. He will share with the audience how to overcome many of the stumbling blocks in order to bring your next great idea to market and beyond. Nathan will also discuss new inventions that will change the way we do things and outline the disruptive technologies that forced us to change the way we do business, such as fax machines, email and cell phones.